Castell Photography

From the Artist…

The marvelous work of up and coming Polish artist Krzystof Wladyka is still up at the gallery, and will hang through the month of May! Don’t miss the chance to see these unique works in person, or to come in and have a second look!

The artist states, on his Animalies Series:

“According to me this world is peaceful and  harmonious but being and living in it causes the feelings of nostalgia, sadness and depression. On the one hand additional elements or objects which are get mixed  up in this world should have as a task to help characters  to survive in their nothingness, but on the other hand they just strengthen me in  the feeling of being withdrawn and isolated from the others.

In my opinion, in these days (when the money is more important than the soul’s needs) everybody can  identify with the characters from the photos.  They might create a moment of reflection  and a  simple question  about the essence of our lives and basic values.

On his love of photography:

“Every time when I take a camera I try to do something special, something unusual what will be different from anything else. That’s why some of my works are incomprehensible, but If you look with your heart, you will be able to find deeper meanings, beauty in simple objects… soul of the photography.

This is the main photography rule which I identify with.”

“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.”

Don McCullin

All works are sold as loose prints, and are in an edition of 10. We offer framing services so come in, pick out your favorite piece (the hardest part!), and we’ll make it look perfect for your home. As a reminder, our hours are Wednesday - Friday 12-6, or Saturday 12-7. See you soon!

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Opening Reception Friday: Lens on the Land

 

We hope you will join us for an opening reception for our newest exhibition, Lens on the Land, a group exhibition which will feature work from four North Carolinian artists, all depicting the North Carolina Landscape. From the mountains to the coast, this group of images captures the beauty of our great state from four varying perspectives.

The opening reception for Lens on the Land will be held NEXT Friday, May 6th from 5 to 8 p.m. Light hors d’oeuvres and wine will be provided. This will be a unique exhibition, unlike any we have done in the past at Castell Photography, we hope to see you there!

Additional information for Lens on the Land:

Todd Cook, a young documentary photographer working out of Greenville, North Carolina, created a series of images inspired by the land which his family has called home for generations, being influenced by both it’s vast beauty as well as the rich history. The artist states “I discovered a region rich in history, heritage, sincerity, and integrity that I felt long disjointed from. I met some of the relatives my mom mentioned to me in my youth, and mended broken family bonds in the process. I met people who I couldnt fathom not ever knowing. In short, I discovered my home.” Neil Loughlin, also out of Greenville, creates hazy and nostalgic medium format images from a recent series in which the artist wanted to explore the beauty and mystery of the Old North State, but approach it “in a way where I would be painting with imagery as though a painter with a brush.”


Robin Dreyer, a long time employee at Penland School of Craft (of Celo, North Carolina) and Kenneth Jackson (of Carboro, North Carolina) are both working in alternative photographic processes. Dreyer creates one of a kind daguerrotypes, which was the very first photographic process dating to the early 19th century. His landscapes are unique and vastly different from the other artists’, each with it’s own charming set of imperfections. Kenneth Jackson creates limited edition ziatypes, which are made by brushing hand-mixed emulsions onto fine art paper, and then contact-printing from digitally enlarged negatives. Although these images are printed in small editions, each editioned image varies slightly from the last.


“To be honest, we have somewhat avoided an exhibition of this sort of work in the past, solely because of it’s prevalence in Asheville. We then realized that as Asheville’s only photography gallery, that we are in the unique position to show a grouping of exceptional and varied landscape photographs. The fact that it’s all of North Carolina is the perfect bonus, these images represent the unique beauty of our state— from images of the coast to a mountain path to a depiction of a rural area or farmland, these images are uniquely North Carolinian,” says gallery director Heidi Gruner.

We hope to see you this Friday night!

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Lens on the Land now online!

Thanks so much to everyone who came out to the opening reception for Lens on the Land last night — it was a lovely evening! For those of you who missed it, or if you simply want a second look, all of the work from all 4 exhibiting artists is now on our web site under the Exhibition portfolio. 

Take a few minutes to look the work over, and we hope you will come in and visit us to see the work in person. We’re very excited to present this exhibition to you, it’s such a varied and talented group of photographers, all with unique perspectives on the gorgeous landscapes within our great state…

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From the Artist: Neil Loughlin

Neil Loughlin is 1 of 4 artists currently exhibiting at Castell Photography as a part of our invitational group exhibition, Lens on the Land: A Collection of North Carolinian Landscapes. We will be doing a feature on all 4 of the artists, look out for the others next week!

The artist states:

“With this new series, ‘We’ve Met Once Before’, I wanted to explore the beauty and mystery of the Old North State, but approach it in a way where I would be painting with imagery as though a painter with a brush. 

Each image is initially captured on a positive film with the use of a Holgaroid camera. The film is then scanned in and digitally enhanced, or altered by using elements from different scans.The work is then printed using archival paper and inks. The images are unique and original in form and process, yet each feels as if it were an obscure memory created in the mind of the viewer themselves.”

Stay tuned for features on the other 3 Lens on the Land artists next week! To see all of Neil’s images featured in the Lens on the Land exhibition visit our website!

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From the Artist: Todd Cook

Todd Cook is 1 of 4 artists currently exhibiting at Castell Photography as a part of our invitational group exhibition, Lens on the Land: A Collection of North Carolinian Landscapes. Todd is the second of 4 Lens on the Land artists that we will be featuring, keep checking back for the remaining 2!

“I’ve given this land back to god,
Though it was never really mine.
I’ll pay the taxes and be its steward,
While I’m alive and feeling fine.
I hope the next taxpayer will be its steward,
And let God keep his land when I’m dead.
So come sit and see God in all his glory,
And reflect on what I’ve said.”

–Just another Steward…
In the year of our Lord 2004, June.

From the artist:

Growing up, my mother used to tell my brother and I of the long car trips from Greensboro to Stumpy Point in the 60s and 70s that her and my Pawpaw would make to visit his mother. She spoke of the remoteness of the small sleepy town hugging a bay a stones throw from the Outer Banks where Papaw spent his youth, and recalled stories of colorful relatives whom Id never had the pleasure of meeting. 

Pawpaw was always a sincere and humble man. He never wasted anything. He called my brother Justin Just-tiny and would draw us silly pictures of birds pooping on the heads of farmers. He was a devout Christian who never missed a Sunday service, and believed in integrity. To my brother and I, he represented something greater than this world could offer. He kept a garden in his backyard in Greensboro, and when my brother and I would visit when we were little, wed go with him and pick corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, squash, and blackberries. You name it; he probably grew it at one time or another. Around suppertime, you were guaranteed that some of those very veggies we had picked earlier would end up in some lovely concoction he would cook up for us. Are you still hungry? Would you like anything else? he would inquire with the slight tint of a strange accent in his voice I could never place, until now. A High-tider accent, my family would call it. In the spirit of giving and never taking that he embodied, he always made sure we were full.

In the spring of 2005, I began my first semester of college at East Carolina University, the very same college Pawpaw attended, though it was still called East Carolina Teachers College (ECTC) when he was there on the G.I. Bill. As a photography major, I quickly fell in love with the region probably the first time I drove down highway 264 East. You pass a car on a country road, and the driver waves, regardless if they know you or not. The rejuvenating and virile nature of landscape during the spring, the hot and humid summer days, backed with the soundtrack of droning crescendos created by cicadas and the ambient glow of lights radiating from small towns off in the distance at night, abandoned homesteads dotting the countryside, the melancholy nature of the landscape during the fall and winter, and the overall peaceful expansiveness of the region puts me at ease. 

In the process of documenting this area, I discovered a region where time stood still; it invoked the memories of my mothers trips to the coast some 40 years ago. I discovered a region rich in history, heritage, sincerity, and integrity that I felt long disjointed from. I met some of the relatives my mom mentioned to me in my youth, and mended broken family bonds in the process. I met people who I couldnt fathom not ever knowing.  In short, I discovered my home.
    
Eastern North Carolina is home to a wide array of people who shape the very landscape they live in, in both the physical and non-physical sense. From farmers to fishermen, my grandfather was one of these people. I hope you feel at home when viewing these images, and I hope these images help portray the passing of time and the expansiveness of the area, and how its fellow stewards shape it.

Work from Lens of the Land will be hanging through the end of June, and can also been see on our web site. Stay tuned for features on the remaining 2 artists….

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Opening Reception + Art Walk TONIGHT!

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Join us for TONIGHT for the opening of our newest exhibition, Double Vision, a series of work from New Jersey based artist Annie Hogan. The opening reception for Double Vision will coincide with the Asheville Downtown Gallery Association’s June and will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Light hors d’oeuvres, wine, and beer will be provided. We hope to see you this evening!

The images in this series serve as an outsider’s investigation of slavery’s legacy of injustice and inequality through an examination of the traditional southern plantation home and the lesser structures which surround it. Hogan explores the incongruent relationship between the grand plantation homes and the smaller, meager homes and cabins which surround them. 






The artist states: “As an outsider to the US, I question what lies beneath the grandeur and elegance of the plantation house, which is a powerful architectural and social symbol in the South. Along with looking at the main house I look at the grounds and the buildings that exist alongside it.” Hogan creates a joined narrative of the two structures by overlaying the images on top of one another in many of the larger scale works. Additionally, Hogan has created cyanotypes, a photographic printing process that gives a cyan-blue print, which serve as unique portraits of the larger homes themselves. 

Hogan, a native of Australia, is currently a professor at The Mason Gross School of Arts at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New 
Jersey. She received her Bachelor of Photography at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, and acquired her MFA in Photography from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work is in permanent collections at The Art Institute of Chicago, East Carolina University Joyner Library Collection, The National Gallery of Australia, as well as many other private and public collections both in the US and abroad.





“Her choice to depict such a heavy subject matter in a soft, beautiful, almost delicate manner is an unexpected surprise which results in a truly stunning juxtaposition. These works are unique, they are conceptual in nature, but quite simply — they are strikingly beautiful.” says gallery director Heidi Gruner.

We hope to see you this evening! If you aren’t able to make it tonight, all work will be on our web site on Saturday. 

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Gallery Artist Martin Stranka

                                                                                          “On the Edge”, Martin Stranka

In addition to monthly opening and rotating exhibitions, Castell Photography also often exhibits the work of other gallery artists, most of which have exhibited with us in the past few years. If space allows, you might see the work of one of these artists hanging on the walls, and they are always available to be brought out! 

One of these artists whose work you can currently see in the gallery is Czech artist Martin Stranka. Stranka’s photographs explore the space between dreams and waking. Illusory and cinematic, the images reference surreal life experiences in a way that is both universal and arresting. Stranka’s work is surprisingly profound considering that the young artist has only been photographing for five years and has never been technically trained.

                                                                                                “Rejected”, Martin Stranka

The artist states:

“When I take photographs, I try to materialize my thoughts and dreams into the conscious state. Many people tell me the have found themselves in these pictures. They say it feels strangely familiar. Photographs as mirrors? Yes, they should be a mirror into our souls, dreams, reality.”

Stranka’s work has generated much attention and excitement throughout the European art world;  Stranka has won three prestigious International Aperture Awards and has had numerous exhibitions in the Czech Republic, Belguim and the United Kingdom. His work has also been in numerous publications. Stanka’s first solo show is the US was at Castell Photography in April of 2010, and we are thrilled to offer his work to you!

For questions or inquiries about Martin Stranka or any of our other artists, simply contact the gallery. Additionally, as a reminder, all of the works from the archive portion of our web site can also be made available, take a look…

                                                                                         ”We Don’t Try”, Martin Stranka

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Castell Photography in the Spotlight!

There’s been some great press surrounding the gallery as of late, and we wanted to fill you in on some highlights! 

For those of you in the Asheville area, I hope you’ve had a chance to check out our current exhibition, Observatory, a selection of exquisite works from Ohio artist Lauren Semivan. Local arts writer Carol from the Asheville Citizen Times was kind enough to write this nice little article about our opening reception for Observatory and Semivan’s work. We had a great turnout at the opening, if you’re in the area be sure to come in and see the work!

During a recent trip to New York Brie & Heidi met John Bennette, the Art Director for a new online photo magazine about photography in the south called South by South East. In their most recent issue they did a nice little feature on our June/July artist Annie Hogan. We actually decided to keep a few of Annie’s pieces up in the gallery for awhile longer so come by and see them! All of her work can also be seen on our web site under the Archives portfolio…

Additionally, in the July issue of SPIN Magazine there was a little feature about HATCHfest in Asheville which included a mention of Photography Mentor, Sylvia Plachy. We’re still thrilled to have worked so closely with Sylvia and are glad that HATCH is getting so much attention! Speaking of HATCH, our other Photography Mentor, Gerald Slota, was recently interviewed by Foto Care, check it out here!

We’re so thrilled and honored to be working and to have worked with so many talented artists, and are so glad to see the coverage that everything has been getting! Stay tuned for more….

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From the Artist: Lauren Semivan

There’s only a few weeks left to see the captivating staged works from Lauren Semivan, here’s some words from the artist herself:

“The staged photograph exists as a document of a preconceived, imagined event. It can be compared to a scientific apparatus, utilizing both control and the unknown. My ongoing body of work Observatory combines drawing, an archive of objects, and the human presence as a narrative tool.

In scientific disciplines, a line is classified as an event. Something as primitive as a scrawl on a surface reveals an aggregate of events, intersecting and changing course. Drawings made on the seamless back- drop describe an emotional space.Science is inherently experiential, as is art making. Knowing and feeling are not separate, and the whole of the environment can be used as a pedagogic instrument. Obser- vatory elegantly draws upon a tension that exists between irrational and physical worlds.

Within each image, ghosts of previous drawings create a sense of time suspended, evoking gesture, atmo- sphere and memory. Photographs allow me to access the extraordinary, to keep a record of dreams, and to employ the uses of the unknown.

My interest in photography is interdisciplinary and synergistic, informed by the written word, painting, drawing, sculpture, and the raw material of human experience. All images are made using an early 20th century 8x10” view camera, then large format negatives are scanned and printed without digital manipulation.”

We are thrilled to have the work of Lauren Semivan in the gallery, and will surely be sad to see these stunning and unique works leave. Come check them out one last time at next weekends art walk, or during our regular business hours (wednesday-friday12-6, saturday 12-7). All of her work can also be seen on our web site. 

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Manipulated weekend! Just days away…

Manipulated weekend is now just around the corner! We’ve got a crazy week ahead of us at Castell Photography: we’ll be kicking of the week by concocting/finalizing our very specialty cocktails with our event bartender (Ali Wainright of the Rankin Vault), then onto hanging the very broad variety of work from the 32 participating artists, welcoming our juror to Asheville, and finalizing all of those important last minute details! We’ve been preparing for this weekend for months and can’t wait for all of the final details to come together, and to enjoy the photo related events with everyone!

Opening night! The opening reception for Manipulated will be a very special event held on Friday, October 14th, from 6-8 pm. Castell Photography is thrilled and honored to involve and bring to Asheville a juror of such caliber and relevance to contemporary photography as Ariel Shanberg is. This weekend of photographic festivities is not only a triumph for the gallery and the chosen artists, but also for the artistic community of Asheville and Western North Carolina.   

The juror for Manipulated, Ariel Shanberg, is the executive director of The Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW). CPW is a nonprofit, artist-centered organization supporting artists working in photography and related media and engaging audiences through opportunities in creation, education, and presentation. In addition, he has served as a panelist for the the 2011 New York Photo Festival Awards, the National Endowment for the Arts, Media Alliance’s Media Action Grant, Light Works’ Regional Photographers’ Grant, and continually serves as a reviewer at prestigious national and international creative conferences and festivals, as well as an authoritative speaker at universities such as  Bucknell and Rutgers University. 

Shanberg will be travelling from New York to attend the opening, which will include specialty cocktails concocted and served by Rankin Vault bartender Ali Wainright, and live music from a local DJ.  50 works by 32 artists were chosen out of nearly 400 entries which were carefully selected by the esteemed juror. The 50 accepted works represent a wide range of photographic processes and unique hand manipulation from prints and/or negatives which have been painted or drawn on, scratched, collaged, burned, embroidered, woven, and much more. A Juror’s Choice Award will be given as well as Director’s Choice Award, and work from all chosen entries will be exhibited at Castell Photography for 6 weeks and on the Castell Photography web site for one year. These awards will be announced on the night of the exhibition, and will be online the following day. 

In addition to our opening reception even on Friday the 14th, the day after the opening reception on Saturday the 15th of October the gallery will be hosting portfolio reviews with Shanberg and 9 local and regional artists. Following the reviews there will be a social hour with Shanberg where attendees can ask questions, see the work of the 9 reviewees, and connect with both Shanberg and the participating artists. The social hour, held at 5pm on the 15th, is open to the public. 

It is the gallery’s hope that the Asheville community will embrace this unique opportunity and welcome Shanberg to our town by attending the Friday evening reception, as well as joining us on Saturday for the social hour — this very exciting weekend is not one to be missed! 

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